Vuong Van Tha, his son and two nephews were arrested on 18 May 2017. He used a loudspeaker to speak out against government "mistakes and crimes". He was tried in secret and without legal defence or witnesses.
Hanoi (AsiaNews/RFA) – A court in southwestern Vietnam’s An Giang province sentenced a Buddhist hermit to 12 years in prison for spreading propaganda against the state under Article 88, a provision often used by the communist government to silence dissent, sources said.
Vuong Van Tha (pictured), his son Vuong Thanh Thuan, and his two nephews, Nguyen Nhat Truong and Nguyen Van Thuong, were arrested on May 18, 2017 after a nearly two-month standoff.
Tha is a member of the unsanctioned Hoa Hao Buddhist sect. He is currently held in isolation at the Bang Lang Prison, Long Xuyen District.
Prior to his arrest in May, Tha had used a loudspeaker to speak out against what he called the “mistakes and crimes” of Vietnam’s government.
He was released from prison in August 2016 after serving a three-year sentence for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens”.
Cong Ly Dan Toc, a writer whose Facebook name means “Justice for the Nation” said that Tha was sentenced under protest without the presence of lawyers or his family.
“Tha strongly protested during the trial because he didn’t see his child,” Cong said. “He also asked the court why people were not allowed to enter the courtroom while the court itself is called People’s Court. He also asked for his lawyers because there was no lawyer representing him”.
“He was screaming in protest against the trial and was subdued with violence before being taken to a private room where he was sentenced. When Tha was being subdued, his two nephews repeatedly banged their heads against the table, trying to commit suicide in protest,” added the blogger.
Tha, Cong said, got 12 years in prison; his son, Vuong Thanh Thuan, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment; and his two nephews, both of whom are illiterate, each received six years in jail.
Tha’s court-approved attorney, Nguyen Kha Thanh, could not attend the trial, and has not heard anything about the trial. He was unable to contact his client’s wife and daughter.